Agreement between the United Kingdom Government and the Scottish Government on a referendum on independence for Scotland

This historical agreement authorizes the Scottish Parliament to legislate with the aim of organizing a referendum on Scottish independence before the end of 2014. To the Wilson Initiative this agreement represents an impeccable model of democracy and respect for the right to self-determination.

The agreement ends with the following statement: "The two governments are committed to continue to work together constructively in the light of the outcome, whatever it is, in the best interest of the people of Scotland and of the rest of the United Kingdom." In light of an agreement like this, we at the Wilson Initiative can only say: "If only Spain were as democratic as the United Kingdom!"

Pol Antràs (Ph.D., MIT) Professor at Harvard UniversityCarles Boix (Ph.D., Harvard) Professor at Princeton UniversityJordi Galí (Ph.D., MIT) Senior Researcher at the Center for Research in International Economics (CREI)Gerard Padró i Miquel (Ph.D., MIT) Professor at the London School of EconomicsXavier Sala i Martín (Ph.D., Harvard) Professor at Columbia UniversityJaume Ventura (Ph.D., Harvard), Senior Researcher at the Center for Research in International Economics (CREI)